Snakes And Stones Will Break My Bones
by Bubbles1994
Summary: A late night conversation between Booth and Brennan brings up horrible memories from Brennan's past. B


A/N: My first Bones fanfic

_A/N: My first Bones fanfic. Yay! If you haven't checked out what I have written, then I'll just tell you: I've written for the House fandom. Shipping Chameron in earlier fics and recently Hameron; but for Bones, I'm a B&B and Hogela shipper. So cute… :romantic sigh:_

_I'm not too proud of this, I just wanted to post a one-shot before I post the multi-chapter fic I'm working on. Just saying, this was written at 3 in the morning because I couldn't sleep. This is the result:_

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Snakes and Stones Will Break My Bones

Brennan sat on her couch in her expansive office. It had been a rough day – hell, a rough case. Too close to home, she thought. The killer was a foster father who struck his foster kid on the head with a wrench.

She thought about the dozens of homes she went through in the two years of being in the system. Some families were nice and welcoming. But then, others, if Brennan never saw them again, it would be too soon.

Like one family, made her stay in a dingy basement where she was terrified if -.

Booth abruptly interrupted her thoughts. How does he know when to pop up in her life? Surely, she didn't foresee it, but was utterly grateful.

He stood next to the couch, his hands in his pant pockets. Standing in a very masculine way, she noticed.

Brennan looked up at him, with hurt in her eyes. He absolutely hated when she gazed at him like that. A damsel in distress, though she would never admit it. If there was anything in this universe that Booth would want, is to have her past be erased, and replaced with nothing but happiness.

He tentatively sat next to her, shoulders touching. Booth glanced at her, sympathetically, trying to start at the beginning – that was rational.

"Bones," Booth began. "I know-"

"No; you don't," she stated, definitively. "You really have no idea what it was like in the system. Please don't try to empathize."

Booth closed his mouth. How did she know what he was going to say before he said it? But, nevertheless, he tried again. "I know that this case hit home for you. I want you to know, Temperance, if you want to talk, I'll be listening."

He realized from previous experience, Bones need her space. Booth respected that, so he stood to leave, and headed for the door.

"Booth," she called. And he turned to face her, although she was looking at her shoes.

"Yeah, Bones?" He asked, regaining his seat next to her.

"There was this family when I was a foster child where they had a pet snake in the basement. When I moved in, my bedroom was the same basement," she paused. Booth was focused on her, like she was the only one that mattered.

"One night, about a week after my arrival, the snake got out of his tank because its top was left off. While I was sleeping, it slithered onto my bed, and I felt it. I turned the bedside lamp on and it was in my face with its mouth open wide," she sobbed.

Booth put an arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him; crying into his shoulder.

Brennan lifted her head a little, and continued, pausing frequently, "I screamed in fear and my foster father woke up because of it. He marched down and…" she took in a sharp breath, "he threw a fit. He practically destroyed the bedroom. He knocked down everything off my desk, including the only picture I had left of my family," she paused. "He broke a lamp. Then the yelling that I should've been quieter and not waken up the entire neighborhood. He threatened to… to move me again. Third time that month."

"All because you woke him up? The guy seriously has some anger issues." Booth concluded.

"Yeah, no kidding… But as much as I despised the man, I didn't want to be bounced after just being there a week. My foster dad didn't even put away the snake… So I didn't say anything for about two months. And in those two months, I couldn't sleep properly without fearing that it would happen again. To this day, I'm fearful of snakes, without a person there to show example by."

By now, Brennan's head was resting on Booth's rising and falling chest. Some time during her story, they both leaned back against the couch.

Booth spoke, "That's just not right. Nobody should be afraid to make a noise or fall asleep at night. It's," he paused, "torture."

"Well, tell him that."

"Bones, looking on the bright side-"

"What bright side? There's can't be a bright side to this situation, Booth."

"Yeah, there is," he spoke softly. "The person that you are now is based on what happened then," he dictated with his index finger. "And what happened then has made you stronger and made you speak your mind," he paused. "I like that about you."

"Thanks, Booth," she smiled a little.

"Anytime, Bones; I'll always be here for you, you know."

"I know," and her relaxing in his arms. Then, feeling a sense of hope and security, which she hadn't had before meeting the man holding on to her.

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Comments are very much appreciated. Thanks for reading. I'll be posting my multi-chapter fic when I think it's ready. :)


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